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The nine lives of Rob Ford: Will the audit be the fatal blow to Toronto’s Teflon Mayor?

Opponents, allies and even his staff sometimes refer to Rob Ford as The Teflon Mayor. Whether it’s his Average Joe persona or a testament to how much the public loves his political policies, Ford has the uncanny ability to survive scandals that would prove fatal for most elected officials. Ford has a week to go before his campaign finance audit is expected to come out. If he is found to have violated election laws, he could be removed. The question is: How many lives does Ford have left?

1) April 2006

As a Ward 2 councillor, a drunken Rob Ford directs an expletive-laced rant toward a Durham Region couple during a Maple Leafs game. He initially denies it, but later apologizes, claiming to be “completely embarrassed and humiliated.” When his political opponents go after him for it, Ford takes control of the narrative, saying: “I don’t think it has anything to do with my job or politics. This was a private situation in my private life on private time. I’m going to carry on and keep doing my job that I do at city hall.”

2) March 2008

Ford is charged with assault and uttering threats after a domestic incident with his wife, Renata. Ford’s lawyer says the charges were “spurious.” The charges are withdrawn in May. Ford leaves court saying he is glad to be back with his family and that his mayoral ambitions remain intact. “It just means move on and take David Miller out of office as soon as possible. I’d like to thank my family, my friends, the taxpayers of this city for sticking with me through this whole process.”

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3) June 2010

A secretly recorded phone conversation between Rob Ford and Dieter Doneit-Henderson surfaces. Doneit-Henderson — who made the recording — asks Ford to help him get a common street drug called Oxycontin. Ford appears to entertain the request: “Why don’t you go on the street and score it?” He later explains he was caught off-guard and that obviously, “I’m not going to go out and buy drugs for the guy.” The Ford mayoral campaign feels virtually no backlash.

4) August 2010

While he campaigns for mayor, it’s revealed that Ford was arrested under suspicions of impaired driving and marijuana possession a decade earlier in Florida. Drug charges were never laid, but Ford did plead no-contest to impaired driving. He initially denied the story, then held a news conference and solemnly described the night. For another politician, this could be a career-ender. Ford instead sees a bump in the polls.

5) July–October 2011

Ford is twice spotted driving while using his cellphone. In one incident, a Toronto mother says Ford gave her the finger after she told him: “Get off your cellphone.” Ford admits to being on the phone, but denies he flipped anyone off.

6) September 2012

The bedrock of Rob Ford’s political philosophy starts to crumble, after numerous stories expose misuse of taxpayer dollars. First, it is revealed that Ford has used office staff, city cars and a city cellphone to run his high school football team. Then it comes to light that the Ford family business, Deco Labels and Tags, appears to have received special treatment when it came to road maintenance outside its building.

7) November 2012

A fall of scandal finishes off with the TTC pulling a bus off its route to pick up Ford’s football team following a tense game. Mayor Ford phones the TTC CEO Andy Byford personally to check on the status of the bus.

8) December 2012

A judge rejects a $6 million libel lawsuit brought against Mayor Rob Ford by a Beach restaurant owner. George Foulidis had sued Ford over comments Ford made during the campaign.

9) January 2013

A three-judge panel overturns a conflict of interest ruling against the mayor, which would have cost Rob Ford his job.

10) January 2013: The campaign audit

Did Rob Ford violate campaign finance laws? One penalty if the auditor concludes he did — and the city’s audit committee decides to press the issue — is removal from office. To be continued…

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